Review Committee

NAGPRA created a Federal Advisory Review Committee charged with monitoring and reviewing the implementation of NAGPRA. Members are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior from nominations made by Indian Tribes, Native Hawaiian organizations, traditional Native American religious leaders, national museum organizations, and national scientific organizations.

Courtesy of JR Ancheta/University of Alaska Fairbanks.

The Review Committee is responsible for

• monitoring the NAGPRA inventory and identification process;
• reviewing and making findings related to the identity or cultural affiliation of cultural items, or the return of such items;
• facilitating the resolution of disputes;
• compiling an inventory of culturally unidentifiable human remains that are in the possession or control of each Federal agency and museum, and recommending specific actions for developing a process for disposition of such human remains;
• consulting with Indian Tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations and museums on matters affecting such tribes or organizations lying within the scope of work of the Review Committee;
• consulting with the Secretary of the Interior on the development of regulations to carry out NAGPRA; and
• making recommendations regarding future care of repatriated cultural items.

Who serves on the Review Committee?
»Members

What does the Review Committee do?
»Meetings

What has the Review Committee reported?
»Reports to Congress

What recommendations has the Review Committee made?
»Requests and Recommendations

What authorizes the Review Committee?
»Charter

Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA)

The Review Committee is an advisory body under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). FACA was enacted in 1972 to ensure that advice by the various advisory committees is objective and accessible to the public. The Act formalized a process for establishing, operating, overseeing, and terminating these advisory bodies and created the Committee Management Secretariat (housed in the General Services Administriation) to monitor compliance with FACA.The National NAGPRA Program provides administrative and staff support to the Review Committee on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior. The Manager, National NAGPRA Program, serves as the Review Committee's Designated Federal Officer.